Steelers Mock Draft: Pittsburgh reaches to fill remaining needs

The first wave of free agency has wrapped up, and the Steelers roster is still in need of a strong draft. While some of their moves warrant praise, nothing sticks out as a potential long-term fix. Despite adding linebackers, a cornerback, and a guard, I don’t think any position is off-limits in the draft.

This seems like a very Steelers way of addressing things. They have added a handful of veterans that can start in a pinch but likely won’t be around for the long haul. That means they can be “flexible” in the draft and target different names at these positions. It's how this team has drafted as of late.

I will tell you this right now: I have this mock going with how I feel the team is setting themselves up to draft. It won’t be the best player available; it will be the best player available at a perceived need, and it ends up costing this team. The team ends up reaching a few times, and the most obvious is in the first round.

The Steelers have done this on quite a few occasions, selecting players they like at a perceived need earlier than most expected. Artie Burns is the classic example (due to his busting), but it was a similar story with both Terrell Edmunds and T.J. Watt. Both were clearly on the Steelers radar, and even though the consensus was lower on them, the team still grabbed them in the first round.

This is what happens when you leave big holes on a roster, and that is why this mock draft for the Steelers contains a lot of reaching.